6 September 2010

Under my sink

I had semi-organised the cupboard under my kitchen sink a while ago but it had slowly become more and more messy. The fact that it didn't stay organised told me that the system wasn't right - it shouldn't be hard to stay organised if the system makes sense and meets your needs correctly. So, I needed a new system. Because here is what it looked like:

BEFORE:
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I went down into the cellar to see what I could find to use and came up with a tension rod and other odds and ends.

AFTER:
I used the tension rod to hang spray bottles off - I use glass cleaner spray to clean everything so there is a full and almost empty bottle of that as well as some stainless-steel cleaner spray, a spray bottle of water and some bathroom cleaner spray which usually lives in the bathroom - I'll have to move it! Beneath that on the right you can see an old Brita water jug that contains a feather duster, rubber gloves, old toothbrush and sponge scourer - I take that upstairs with me when I'm cleaning, adding some cloths and glass cleaning spray.

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Behind the jug is a plastic basket containing the vacuum cleaner attachments. You can also see the sink plug hanging on a nail on the right - we don't hand wash dishes so we seldom use the plug but it's now easy to find if we need it.

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To the left I hung a wire basket from some nails - it contains shoe polish and brushes and can easy be pulled out when we need it, then hung back on the nails when we're done. I've also hung some bottle brushes from nails. Below that is a plastic tub with a basket nesting on top containing sponges and scrubbing brushes:

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Below the basket are things like my wax tart burner and tarts, a plastic funnel and other odds and at the back are bleach bottles, insect spray, sterliser, polish, sticky-stuff-remover, and carpet cleaner:

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I've hung a plastic bag in the door using little nails - it contains extra plastic bags that we use to line the bins (trash cans) upstairs, etc:

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I love it, and it's so much more functional!

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11 wonderful readers have commented:

  1. Ingenious! Who would have thought to use a tension rod that way? I wish I had your creative mind!!

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  2. Wow, so many smart and clever things you did here! My cabinet could definitely use some of these organizing ideas! Great job. :-)

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  3. You are brilliant--I love the tension rod idea.

    I've been using the plastic containers that our dishwasher pucks come in to organize things under the sink; I'm on our third container and I can't wait til it's empty. My sister in law taught me to fold our plastic bags into small squares and put them in a small container. I love it--they are so much more contained that way without the air in them. Since we don't have that many anymore, I feel like I am finally on top of them.

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  4. Isn't organizing even the smallest of places so wonderful? Good idea with the tension rod. I will have to try that one.

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  5. I think the tension rod is genius!!!

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  6. Love the tension rod to hang your spray bottles! Gets them off the floor but still very easy to grab.

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  7. Such a great idea to use a tension rod! You're inspiring me to reorganize my messy under the sink cabinet.

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  8. I like the tension rod idea and I just happen to have one that isn't in use.
    I need to do my 'under the sink' counter right now.
    I keep cleaning supplies, for my bathrooms, under the sink in each one so no trips back and forth with cleaning supplies. Then when I am in there already, I can do a quick clean up.
    Mama Bear

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  9. Hi Jen!!! I am a new follower and I must say that I say this on a blog through pinterest today and I absolutely needed it! I opened my cabinet to look for something and saw that everything was wet on the bottom! I have had to take all the stuff out, clean it and clean the bottom of the cabinets. I happened to come across this with the tension rod and think it is brilliant!!!! I am loving your blog and hope you have a great day!!!

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  10. Hi Jen, I've enjoyed scanning through your posts and lovely photos! I, too, found you through a friend who pinned the tension rod with spray bottles on it on Pinterest. I'm wondering if you'd be up for it for me to feature your photo and a link to your blog/this post in my weekly 'Hip Trick' column? My email is kate at teakate dot come; I'd love to hear from you. My blog is: hipgirlshome.com and past Hip Tricks are featured at http://hipgirlshome.com/hip-tricks/. Drop a line if you have a moment; I'd love to share more about the feature.

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    1. That would be great, thanks! Will email.

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